The Challenge
Laithwaites Wine approached Conjure seeking guidance, help and support in creating a roadmap to guide their 2022 digital transformation journey. Being the world’s largest mail-order wine merchant with operations in wine clubs in UK and US, and vineyards and wine making facilities in UK, France, USA and Australia.
Laithwaites Wine had key decisions to make around its digital transformation strategy – from its technology stack to innovation focus areas and the wider customer experience. To set a vision and establish a roadmap for a future sustainable digital experience, we proposed our two-day immersion workshop with key stakeholders and our core product design and development team. The focus of the two days being to begin their journey, with discovery, vision and roadmapping work with a primary focus around the customer experience for Laithwaites UK.
"Conjure’s immersion and discovery process has been incredible and interactive, it’s really been about getting under the skin of what problem it is we’re trying to solve and how we go about solving that problem."
Felicity Pollock, Ex-Head of Digital Product, Laithwaites
Immersion into the World of Wine
Prior to our two day immersion workshop, our talented design team set out to collect and digest industry insights and research. Benchmarking Laithwaites against key players in the wine, wider retail and subscription content and services spaces. We did a deep dive into the available Laithwaites insights, understanding the Laithwaites target customer, customer segmentation and available market research to date. We were particularly interested in looking at the latest digital trends and experiences giving the user more control when interacting with brands and services.
Collaboratively with Laithwaites, we fused our ideas and points of view in our immersion workshop and subsequent innovations workshop to establish a direction of travel together.
A Compass to a World of Wine Adventure
We established a new positioning strategy to help Laithwaites become the most approachable experts in wine with a focussed mission to become ‘your compass to a world of wine adventure, taking everyone on a journey through wine’. This progressive journey for customers, business stakeholders and the digital product team is about creating new digital services for customers to discover and saviour wine; whilst managing and sharing their love and growing their appreciation of wine. Our approach aligned with a re-brand positioning of ‘doing things beautifully’ focussing on strategic priorities, and organisational change through digital transformation.
VINE – a Digital Experience Language for Wine Lovers Around the World
Working closely together now since spring 2022 we have created the foundations of a global design system, principles and ways of working helping to grow Laithwaites end-to-end digital product innovation and design framework. We’re establishing a digital lingua franca – a digital experience language with its roots in design, best practices becoming a living digital toolkit for stakeholders, user experience, design, product and technology. VINE is Laithwaites digital experience language, and like a good wine, it improves everyday with the passion and expertise applied to help it grow, improve efficiencies and deliver rewarding experiences.